Venerable Mahakotthita once asked Venerable Sariputta:Friend, what is the difference between a dead body and a Bhikkhu, who has attained the state of cessation of perception and feeling?

Venerable Sariputta then answered:Friend, in a dead body any bodily activity is stilled and has all ceased.The verbal activity is stilled and has all ceased. The mental activity is stilled and has all ceased. The metabolic life activity is exhausted. The heat has dissipated, and the mental abilities have all broken up and been destroyed.

In the bhikkhu, who has attained to the cessation of perception and feeling, All bodily activity and breathing is stilled and has all ceased;All verbal activity and all thinking is stilled and has all ceased; All mental activity and all sensing is stilled and has completely ceased; But the metabolic life activity is not exhausted. The heat has not dissipated. Furthermost: The mental abilities have then become exceptionally clear ... !Friend, this is the difference between a dead body and a Bhikkhu, who has attained to the meditative state of cessation of perception and feeling...

The Buddha indeed pointed out Gratitude as an important mental quality:These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.Anguttara Nikaya 2.118

I tell you, monks, there are two people who are not easy to repay. Which two? Your mother & father. Even if you were to carry your mother on one shoulder & your father on the other shoulder for 100 years, & were to look after them by anointing, massaging, bathing, & rubbing their limbs, and they were to defecate and urinate right there on your shoulders, you would not thereby repay your parents. Even if you were to establish your mother & father in absolute sovereignty over this great earth, abounding in the seven treasures, you would not in that way repay your parents!Why is that? Mothers and fathers do much for their children. They care for them, they nourish them for long, and they introduce them to this world. But anyone who rouses his unbelieving mother & father, settles & establishes them in faith; rouses his immoral mother & father, establishes them in virtue; rouses his stingy mother & father, settles & establishes them in generosity; rouses his unwise mother & father, settles & establishes them on a new levelof understanding: It is in this way that one truly repays one's mother's and father's many longstanding services.Anguttara Nikaya 2.32

Mother & father, compassionate to their family, are called Brahma, first teachers, honour them with food & drink, clothing & bedding, and anointing, bathing, washing their feet. Performing these services to their parents, the wise are praised right here and after death rejoice in heaven. Itivuttaka 106

If this is what you think of me: The Blessed One, is sympathetic, is seeking our well-being, teaches us thisDhamma out of sympathy, then you should train yourself in being in harmony, cordial, and without conflict and train in yourselves cultivation of all the 37 best mental qualities: The 4_Foundations_of_Awareness, the 4 right efforts, the 4_Feet_of_Force, the 5 Abilities, 5 powers, the 7 Links to Awakening, & the Noble_8-Fold_Way. Majjhima Nikaya 103A Tathagata is worshipped, honoured, respected, thanked & shown gratitude by any follower, who keeps practicing the Dhamma in accordance with trueDhamma, who keeps practicing masterfully, who lives in and by the Dhamma!Digha Nikaya 16

We will undertake & practice those qualities that makes one a contemplative, so that all those who helped us by services of robes, alms-food, lodging, and medicines will bring them great fruit and great future reward. Majjhima Nikaya 39

Comments:In Pali, the word for gratitude = kataññu literally means to have a sense of what was done for one in the past even when long ago. Remembering all help! A network of kindness and gratitude is what sustains whatever goodness there is and ever will be in this - otherwise destitute & impoverished - world!

The Blessed Buddha once said:Inconceivable is the beginning of this Samsara; not to be discovered isany first beginning of beings, who, blinded by ignorance and ensnaredby craving, are hurrying, and hastening through this round of rebirths...Source: (edited excerpt) SN 3:35

Some Comments:Samsara is the crushing wheel of existence, which literally is meaning'perpetual wandering': A sea of life & death ever restlessly heaving up& down, the symbol of this never-ending process of ever again & againbeing born, growing old, becoming weak & sick, suffering, and dying...More precisely put: Samsara is the unbroken sequence of re-arisings ofcombinations of the momentary events of the 5-fold cluster of clinging,which constantly changing from moment to moment, follow continuallyone upon the other, through inconceivable periods of time. A single lifeconstitutes only a tiny microscopic fraction of these trillions of eons...In order to comprehend the 1st noble truth, one must therefore gazelong and contemplate upon this Samsara, upon this frightful sequenceof ever rebirth mostly in lower painful forms, and not merely upon onesingle lifetime, which may sometimes not seem very painful until aged...The term Suffering: Dukkha in the first noble truth therefore refersnot only to painful bodily & mental feelings, caused now by displeasingcontacts & impressions, but it comprises in addition every thing creatingsuffering or which is liable to produce it later... The truth of Sufferingteaches that, owing to the universal law of impermanence, even high andsublime states of happiness are subject to change and destruction, andthat all states of existence therefore ultimately are unsatisfactory...Without exception they all carry in themselves the seeds of suffering!'Du' means bad. 'Kha' means state. Dukkha thus means 'Bad State'...Samsara is a Bad State of Suffering. Nibbana is a Good State of Peace!

Life in the modern age has become particularly trying and problematic. Though it remains a fact that the standard of living has generally improved, man is still suffering immensely under the weight of present-day living. The physical condition of man has been reduced to such a pathetic level that he succumbs to untimely death by killer diseases such as cancer, heart failure, diabetes, etc. to an unprecedented degree. Mentally, he is so tension-ridden that he has forgotten the art of relaxing, and he cannot even enjoy sound sleep without the aid of tranquilizers. In this set up interpersonal relations have become so brittle and vulnerable that the divorce rate has indeed become alarmingly high, thus letting loose a whole series of other social problems such as uncared-for children, juvenile delinquency, suicide, etc. Thus life has become a problematic burden and a solution to make life more tolerable and enjoyable is a great and pressing need.

As the word of the Buddha is of everlasting value and universal applicability, and as the Buddha preached not only to monks and nuns but also to the lay public as well, it is useful to find a teaching of the Buddha which is relevant to our present-day problems: In the Pattakammavagga of the Anguttara Nikaya (A II, 69) the Buddha preached a sutta to Anathapindika on the fourfold pleasures of a layman. It is our considered opinion that this sutta offers adequate insight to meet the demands of the present-day problems as well. The four types of pleasure listed there are: 1: Atthisukha, the pleasure of having material wealth; 2: Bhogasukha, the pleasure of enjoying material wealth; 3: Ananasukha, the pleasure of being debtless; and4: Anavajjaskha,the pleasure of being blameless. Let us take these for discussion one by one and see how these four sources of pleasure can be harnessed for living a happy life in the present-day world.

Atthisukha — Man should not only have a righteous means of living, avoiding blameworthy trades such as dealing in meat, liquor, poison, firearms & slavery, he should also entertain a wholesome attitude towards his right occupation. For instance, if a doctor welcomes epidemics in the locality in order to make much money, or a trader hopes for natural calamities to send market prices up, the money earned by such unscrupulous individuals is not righteous money as their intentions are impure and foul. Also one should not deceive or exploit others in carrying out one's occupation. Exerting oneself with great energy, one should earn one's living, and such hard-earned wealth is called righteous wealth (dhammika dhammaladdha). Again one could have great wealth, but if one does not experience a sense of contentment with what one has, one cannot really enjoy atthisukha or the pleasure of having. The amassing of wealth of such a person is like trying to fill a bottomless vessel. This is one of the widelyspread maladies we see in the present-day society. Inordinate expansion of wealth becomes a source not of happiness, but of greed, anxiety, and envy. Such wealth exposes the possessor to the jealousies and manoeuvres of other unscrupulous individuals, hence the occurrence of blackmailing and kidnapping from time to time. But if one does have a correct means of earning one's living and the correct attitude to wealth, one can escape many of the hazards which money brings in its wake to modern man...

Bhogasukha —Wealth has only instrumental value and the proper enjoyment of wealth is an art which is worth carefully cultivating. Buddhism deplores both extravagance and miserly hoarding. One must maintain a healthy balanced standard of living according to one's means. If, in the enjoyment of wealth, one overindulges in sense pleasures, one is bound to run into health hazards in a very short time. If, for instance, one overindulges in food just because one can afford it, one will soon be overcome by diseases such as heart failure, high blood pressure and diabetes. Such a one will be faced with the situation of "cutting his neck with his own tongue." Moderation in food is a virtue praised in Buddhism and it is a health-promoting habit. Often in the name of enjoying wealth, man cultivates unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking. It is paradoxical that man, who actually loves himself most, should act as if he were his own worst enemy by indulging in habits which ultimately reduce him to a physical wreck. It is medically established that smoking causes the highest percentage of lung cancer, and that drinking causes irreparable damage to vital organs of the body including brain and liver. If only one pauses to justponder over one's own welfare, and if only one entertains at least some degree of compassion towards oneself, one would not get into the clutches of these vicious habits. Wealthy men often end up in the pitiful plight of the ant fallen in the pot of honey. Such men did not know the art of enjoying bhogasukha. The regard the body as an instrument for pleasure, and they wear out and debilitate the body's capacity for enjoyment in double quick time, long before the natural process of wear and tear sets in. If we love ourselves, we have to treat our bodies with proper care without taxing it with overindulgence and deprivation. It is with the body that we can enjoy not only the pleasures of the senses, but even the spiritual bliss of Nibbana. Another aspect of the joy of wealth is the art of sharing. Without being an Adinnapubbaka, a miserly "never-giver," if one learns to share one's riches with those worthy, the less fortunate and have-nots, one will have the noble experience of rejoicing at the joy of another. At the same time one will learn the love and good will of others, instead of becoming the target of envy, jealousy and intrigue.

Ananasukha — The pleasure of being debtless is the third quality discussed in our sutta. Economically if one can be completely free of debt, one is indeed a very fortunate person. To be really debtless in society one has to discharge one's obligations scrupulously. As a wage earner one has to discharge one's duties for which one is paid, otherwise one can be indebted to the employer. As a parent one has to fulfill one's obligations to one's children. In our society children are taught to worship and look after their parents, and it is well to bear in mind that parents too have to qualify themselves for the honour they receive by being dutiful parents. It should be emphasized that fathers who neglect their families as a result of their addiction to vices such as drinking and gambling fall far short of the ideal of debtlessness. One can have the satisfaction of being debtless only if one has fulfilled one's obligations in all social roles one has to perform.

Anavajjasukha —The satisfaction of leading a blameless life is the highest form of satisfaction that a layman can have. Every society has a code of ethics to be followed by its members. According to Buddhism the minimum code of ethics regulating the life of its adherent disciples is the pañcasila:the Five Precepts. If one practices these virtues, one can have the satisfaction of leading a righteous life to a great extent. Refraining from doing to others what one does not like others to do to oneself, is the basic inviolable principle underlying these virtues. Buddhism speaks of hiri and ottappa, the sense of shame and the fear of doing wrong, as deva dhamma or celestial qualities. These are the basic qualities which separate man from the animal kingdom. Unlike the animals man has a conscience, which makes him squeamish about doing wrong... Buddhism recognizes blameless mental activity as well. Mental activities which arise from greed, hatred & ignorance are detrimentaland thus blameworthy. Let us see how such mental behaviour causes unhappiness. Take for instance the case of a person who is angry. What are the symptoms of anger? Hard breathing, accelerated heart beat, faster circulation of blood, feeling hot, sweating, trepidation, restlessness, etc. — these are the physical manifestations of anger. These are certainly not pleasant physical experiences. Each time the cause of anger is remembered, even though the rage of physical manifestations of anger may not be that marked, one feels quite restless and mentally ill at ease. We use expressions such as "boiling with anger," "I got the devil on to me," etc. to mean getting angry, and these sayings are literally expressive of the situation. It is impossible for one to be angry and happy at the same time. An irritable person is truly a very sad person, and what is worse he infects others around him too with the same sadness. The cultivation of sublime modes of behaviour such as loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity are truly conducive to happy living. Those who live with such attitudes habitually are pleasant and amicable people, who can be happy when all alone, as well as in any company.

If we truly understand the sound significance of these 4 kinds of happiness elucidated in our sutta, and translate them into action, then our life will be much more pleasant, easy and happy even in this modern age.

The Blessed Buddha once said:Bhikkhus, just as this body, is sustained by feeding, exists in dependence on feeding and cannot survive without food, exactly & even so are these 7Links to Awakening also sustained by feeding, they can also only exist in dependence on feeding and they cannot survive without feeding... And what, Bhikkhus, is the feeding the emergence of any yet unarisen Tranquillity Link to Awakening & also feeding of already arisen & presentTranquillity? Just this very notion: There are 2 kinds of Calm:

There is Tranquillity of the Body (kaya-passaddhi)and there is Tranquillity of the Mind (citta-passaddhi)!Frequently giving careful & rational attention to them both, is feeding the arising of any unarisen tranquillity and indeedalso feeding of the gradual fulfillment of any already arisen tranquillity... And what, Bhikkhus, is the starving that obstructs all emergence of any yet unarisen tranquillity and which also hinders any already arisen tranquillity in reaching fulfillment by development?

There are these 2 kinds of composed calm, which should be differentiated:Tranquillity of the Body and Tranquillity of the Mind! Not giving frequentcareful and rational attention to them; not considering them much & often; is the starving that prevents an unarisen tranquillity from arising and also blocks any already arisen tranquillity from reaching complete fulfillment by mental training and progressive development by meditation...

Comments from the classical commentaries: Peace is the characteristic of the Tranquillity Link to Awakening (Passaddhi-sambojjhanga). Stilling of allbodily activity, feeling, perception, mental construction and consciousness is the purpose of tranquillity. Settled, serene and solidified calm (samatha)is the excessively pleasant manifestation of tranquillity. A smiling mountain!When the mirror moves & vibrates, then one cannot see anything clearly in it. So also with the mind: When stressed and agitated, then mind cannot figure out what is good and what is bad on the long term. But when imperturbablystilled, then mind can cut right through any distraction and attain absolute certainty and understanding both spontaneously and instantaneously...

Further conditions helpful for the emergence of the Tranquillity are:1: Eating good and fine food...2: Living in a pleasant climate...3: Maintaining a comfortable posture without pain or distress...4: Staying evenly ballanced in all situations and regarding all aspects...5: Avoidance of restless, anxious, agitated, worried and stressed people...6: Friendship with bodily and mentally calm people, who meditates much!7: Commitment to calm down the mind by cultivating quiet and tranquillity!

There is Tranquillity of the Body and there is Tranquillity of the Mind! These mutually depend upon and enhance each other into deeper calmness.

The young brahman Magha once asked the Blessed Buddha:When giving food, where would this offering be most purified for the donor?The Blessed One answered: If any open-handed householder, a lordly giver, Magha, seeking merit, looking for merit, sacrifices, giving food and drink to others, such one would achieve most merit, if the recipient is pure and Noble.Such, who indeed wander unattached in the world, having & wanting nothing, fully accomplished, in complete self-control, upon them, at the right time one should bestow an offering. Those who have cut all mental bonds and fetters, who are tamed, completely released, without affliction, without desire, uponthem, at the right time, should one bestow an offering. Upon these purified & Noble Ones should any brahman, who is looking for merit, place his sacrifice!Sutta-Nipata verses 488-491 Edited excerpt.

The Blessed Buddha once emphasized: Bhikkhus, there are these five Lower mental chains. What five?1: The mental chain of belief in 'my same identity'(sakkaya-ditthi)2: The mental chain of skeptical doubt (vicikiccha)3: The mental chain of clinging to rule & Ritual(silabbata-paramasa)4: The mental chain of lust for sensuality(kama-raga)5: The mental chain of anger & ill will (vyapada)

There exist these 5 Lower mental chains! The Noble 8-fold Way should be developed for the direct experience of these five minor mental chains, for the full understanding and elimination of them, and for their final overcoming, destruction and full abandonment! This Noble 8-fold Way is developed for the breaking asunder all of these five minor mental chains!

Explanation of these mental, yet harder-than-steel chains:1: Belief in "my identity" construing an internal fake ‘stable same entity’.2: Sceptical doubts about the perfection of Buddha’s self-enlightenment.3: Blind superstition in rules & rituals projecting into them a false efficacy.4: Lust for sensing is addiction to all seen, heard, sensed, and cognized.5: Ill will is all hate & derivatives such as anger, aversion, and irritation.These Chains bind beings to birth in the 6 lower worlds, where all beings are dominated by sense-desire!

Mental chains are not visible, yet quite real, & harder than any steel!

1: The Awareness is a link to Awakening (sati-sambojjhanga).2: The Investigation of the states is a link to Awakening (vicaya-sambojjhanga).3: The Energy is a link to Awakening (viriya-sambojjhanga).4: The Joy is a link to Awakening (piti-sambojjhanga).5: The Tranquillity is a link to Awakening (passaddhi-sambojjhanga).6: The Concentration is a link to Awakening (samadhi-sambojjhanga).7: The Equanimity is a link to Awakening (upekkha-sambojjhanga).These are the seven links leading to final Enlightenment...

Those whose minds are well-developed in these 7 factors of self-awakening,who delight in non-clinging, who relinquish all grasping, whose minds are allaround luminous, whose mental fermentations are all stilled; They, even while still in this world, are all unbound right here!

The Awareness Link to Awakening (sati-sambojjhanga) is basically the same mental property (sati-cetasika), which inherently is included in:

The Four Foundations of Awareness (satipatthana)The Ability of Awareness (satindriya)The Power of Awareness(satibala)The Right Awareness Path Factor (samma-sati-magganga)

Trained, developed and refined in a degree that gradually enlightens!

The Buddha once said: What mental fermentations (asava) should be overcome by development? If a Bhikkhu by careful & rational attentiondevelops the Awareness Link to Awakening based on seclusion, disillusion,ceasing, and culminating in relinquishment, neither can any fermentation, nor any fever, nor any vexation ever arise in him. MN 2 [i 11]The Ability of Awareness is to anchor attention on any chosen object andwhen this ability is unshakable & well fixed, it is the Power of Awareness!Awareness is a Foundation (patthana), when well established (upatthana) continually - without distractions interrupting - on these four objects:1: Body as mere form: Just a group of foul and fragile organs...2: Feeling as a mere reactive response assigned to any contact...3: Mind as only a changing set of habitual mentalities and moods...4: Phenomena simply as appearances of momentary mental states...Not lasting, but transient! Not pleasure, but pain! Not self, but impersonal!Neither neglecting, nor forgetting that these universal characteristics arerelevant and true for absolutely all aspects of these four objects, the falseand distorted perception of beauty in what really is disgusting, of pleasurein what really is painful, of self in what really is selfless and impersonal,gradually fades away and the mental fermentations (asava) of sensing,of views, of ignorance and of becoming are overcome by elimination.

The Blessed Buddha once said:When, Bhikkhus, a Noble Disciple listens carefully to the Dhamma, alert with keen ears, attending to it as a matter of crucial concern, indeed as something of vital importance, directing his entire mind to it, in that very moment, the Five Mental Hindrances are absent in him... On that occasion the Seven Links to Awakening approaches complete fulfilment...

And what are the Five Mental Hindrances, that are absent on that occasion?The mental hindrance of Sense-Desire is all absent on that very occasion.The mental hindrance of Evil-Will is all absent in these exact moments.The mental hindrance of Lethargy & Laziness is all absent during that period.The mental hindrance of Restlessness & Regret is all absent on that event.The mental hindrance of Doubt & Uncertainty is all absent in that interval.These are the 5 Mental Hindrances that are entirely absent in that moment.

And what are the 7 Links to Awakening that approaches fulfilment there?The Awareness Link to Awakening develops towards complete fulfilment!The Investigation Link to Awakening arises and approaches fulfilment!The Energy Link to Awakening also pushes forward towards fulfilment!The Joy Link to Awakening elevates & moves towards complete fulfilment!The Tranquillity Link to Awakening silently comes to a stilled fulfilment!The Concentration Link to Awakening absorbs into one-pointed fulfilment!The Equanimity Link to Awakening also gains fulfilment by development!These are the 7 Links to Awakening that are fulfilled by development on that occasion. When, Bhikkhus, a Noble Disciple listens carefully to the Dhamma, alert with keen ears, attending it as a matter of crucial concern, as something of vital importance, directing his entire mind to it, in that very moment the Five Mental Hindrances are absent in him. On that occasion the Seven Links to Awakening develop towards complete fulfilment...

Isipatana (lit: "Place of the Seers") at Sarnath is the site of the famous Migadaya or Deer Park near Benares (Varanasi) . It was there Gotama Buddha preached his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta to his 5 friends, the Pañcavaggiya monks, thereby setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth! This location is one of the 4 Sacred Buddhist Pilgrimage sites: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kusinara.

The Investigation of states Link to Awakening (dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga) :is basically the same mental property (pañña-cetasika), that understands everything and which also is inherently included in the: The Understanding feet of force (vimamsiddhipada)The Ability of Understanding (paññindriya)The Power of Understanding (paññabala)The Right View Path Factor (samma-ditthi-magganga)It can be trained, developed & refined to a degree that fully enlightens!If one single quality should be pointed out as thee cause of Awakening,then it is this Investigation of states Link to Awakening that enlightens!

The Buddha once said: What mental fermentations (asava) should be overcome by development? If a Bhikkhu by careful & rational attentiondevelops the investigation of states link to awakening based on seclusion, disillusion, ceasing, & culminating in relinquishment, then neither can any fermentation, nor any fever, nor discontent ever arise in him. MN2 [i 11]

Remaining thus aware, then he examines, analyzes, & comes to understandthat quality with penetrating insight. While thus aware, exploring into, examining, analyzing, and coming to full intuitive comprehension, then thisinvestigation of states link to awakening becomes aroused. He developsit, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. MN118 [iii 85]

The ability of investigation of states is to examine, scrutinize and analyzeany chosen object and when this ability is unshakable and unfailing, it thenbecomes the power of investigation of phenomena! By thorough and eagerinvestigation one understands that all things are caused and conditioned and as such only are compounded constructions, that pass through the inconceivably rapid moments (~10-43 sec.) of arising, presence, & ceasing! Remaining neither the 'same', nor 'stable' for two consecutive moments...Comprehending this universal flux gradually disables craving and clinging...Therefore do not trust anything (especially not 'your-self'!) blindly...,but keep on examining and question what is doubtful and not quite clear.Don't jump into any premature conclusion, before having examined it again!The Investigation of states Link to awakening is the sword, that cuts rightthrough the jungle of views to real seeing, understanding and true knowing!

Investigation is found in the last five (III-VII) of these 7 Purifications:I: Purification of morality (sila-visuddhii)II: Purification of mind (citta-visuddhi)III: Purification of view (ditthi-visuddhi)IV: Purification by overcoming doubt (kankha-vitarana-visuddhi)V: Purification by knowledge and vision of what is path and not-pathVI: Purification by knowledge and vision of progress on the path.VII: Purification of knowledge and vision (ñanadassana-visuddhi).

Investigation is inherent in these 3 Comprehending Contemplations:Contemplation of Impermanence (aniccanupassana)Contemplation of Suffering (dukkhanupassana)Contemplation of Impersonality (anattanupassana)

Venerable Sariputta once explained:They conduce and lead to the state of enlightenment; in this sense are they links to awakening! They are in, of and by themselves enlightening; also in this sense are they indeed links to awakening!

Establishing as the meaning of Awareness has to be directly experienced. Examination as the meaning of Investigation has to be directly experienced. Exertion of Effort as the meaning of Energy has to be directly experienced.Intense Contentment as the meaning of Joy has to be directly experienced.Stilled Peace as the meaning of Tranquillity has to be directly experienced.Non-Distraction as the meaning of Concentration has to be directly experienced.Even Ballance as the meaning of Equanimity has to be directly experienced.

They are enlightening as a root, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as a cause, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as a requisite, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as a purification, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as blamelessness, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as withdrawal exit, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as delivering freedom, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as lack of fermentation, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as silent solitary seclusion, thus are they links to awakening. They are enlightening as a releasing relinquishment, thus are they links to awakening.

Contemporary orthodox quantum physics and early Buddhism contains crucially converging and parallel core concepts:1: Wholeness, oneness, and unity in the sense that all is interdependent and forever entangled. Changing any part entails changing the entire universe!2: Emptiness and insubstantiality denoting that materiality is a potential of many possible manifestations and not a solid substance or entity.3: Mind over matter: That expels the fact that mind selects which aspects of many in a probability distribution should manifest during observation.Thanx to Gerald Penilla, California, USA, innerprisms.com for this excellence of presentation.

The Energy Link to Awakening (Viriya-sambojjhanga): Is basically the same mental property (viriya-cetasika), as that which performs any effort of action and which also is inherently included in the: The Energy Feet of Force (viriyiddhipada)The Ability of Energy (viriyindriya)The Power of Energy (viriyabala)The Right Effort Path Factor (samma-vayama-magganga)When trained, developed and aroused energy is capable of enlightening!

The Buddha once said: What mental fermentations (asava) should be overcome by development? If a Bhikkhu by careful & rational attentiondevelops the Energy Link to Awakening based on seclusion, disillusion, ceasing, & culminating in relinquishment, then neither can any mentalfermentation, nor any fever, or discontent ever arise in him.[i] MN2 [i 11][/i]

In one who examines, finds out why, & comes to assured comprehension, in him his energy link to awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, & for him it goes to the culmination of its development.MN118 [iii 85]

The ability of energy is to initiate, launch into action and to complete any undertaking using persistent endurance. When this ability becomesunshakable and unfailing, it then becomes the mighty Power of Energy!

Lazy: The one, who does not rise, when it is time to rise.Who though young and strong, is weak in mind, soft in will, and lazy by nature, such slow one does never find the way to Nibbana. Dhammapada 280

Get up! Sit up!Of what use are your dreams?How can you sleep, when sick, stabbed by the arrow of craving...Sutta Nipata 331

Get up! Sit up!Push on your training, until reaching sole peace!Do not let the king of death see you sloppy and thus delude and dominate you like a toy doll...Sutta Nipata 332

Feeding the Energy: And what, friends, is feeding the Energy Link to Enlightenment, thathas not yet arised, and food too for boosting of any present Energy? 1: The element of mental initiative, 2: The element of launching into action, 3: The element of enduring persistence. Systematic attention to these, is feeding any yet unarisen Energy Link to Awakening, and food too for boosting any present Energy. Samyutta Nikaya XLVI 51 Bojjhanga-samyutta

Fivefold final Energy: Following the Buddha the energy in the disciple culminates, when he finally thinks: Let just this blood and flesh dry up & wither away so only skin, sinews and bones remain, I will not give up my quest and stray from this Noble 8-fold Path before having reached Enlightenment...!

How does a Bhikkhu dwell pervading one direction with his mind endued with compassion? Just as he would feel compassion on seeing an unlucky, unfortunate person, so he pervades all beings with boundless compassion! Therefore first of all, on eyeing a wretched man, deplorable, unfortunate, in every way a fit object for compassion, horrid, reduced to utter misery,with hands and feet cut off, sitting in the shelter for the weak & helplesswith an empty dirty pot placed before him, with maggots in all his wounds,moaning, compassionate pity should be felt for him in this way: This being has been reduced to misery: If only he could be freed from his suffering!Similarly too should a Bhikkhu whose meditation subject is compassion also arouse compassion for an evil-wrong-doing person, even if he is happy now:Though this poor wretch is now happy, cheerful, & enjoying his wealth, butstill, since he has neglected to do even one single good deed, he can come to experience untold suffering anytime after a downfall to the states of loss!Such infinitely compassionate pity he feels towards all beings and especiallyboth towards himself, the dear friend, the neutral one, & the hostile person,thereby breaking down the wrong attitude barrier separating these objects.Vbh 273, Vism I 315

The Blessed Buddha once explained:Whenever withdrawn in body and withdrawn in mind one reflects on the Buddha-Dhamma, then the Awareness Link to Awakening arises and develops. Thus acutely aware one examines that!

Whenever examining a mind state, then the Investigation Link to Awakening arises and develops. While thus being curious & enthusiastically investigating, keen energy is aroused!

Whenever energy is aroused in one who is enthusiastic, then the Energy Link to Awakening arises and develops. While energetic & enthusiastic one succeeds: Therefore Joy is born!

Whenever succeeding in eager joy, then the Joy Link to Awakening arises anddevelops. One thus joyous becomes mentally satisfied and therefore calmed both in body and in mind!

Whenever calmed in body and mind, then the Tranquillity Link to Awakening arises & develops. One thus satisfied, calmed, serene, settled and tranquil in both body and mind becomes Happy!

Whenever calmed & comfortable in the body and tranquil & happy in the mind, then the Concentration Link to Awakening arises and develops. When mentallyconcentrated one reviews all states rationally & reasonably as if from above!

Whenever one well balanced reviews all mental states rationally & reasonably, then the Equanimity Link to Awakening arises and develops. In Equanimity one knows and sees things right as they really are and later become.

It is in this very way that The Seven Links to Awakening develop sequentially, one after the other; successively one leading to, and producing the next...

The Joy Link to Awakening (Piti-sambojjhanga)has the characteristicof suffusing contentment, and the property of gladdening satisfaction.This Joy Link to Awakening manifests as mental elation, which can reach five successively increasing degrees of intensity:

1: Minor Joy, which can raise the hair on the body when thrilled.2: Momentary Joy, which is flashing like lightning at various occasions.3: Showering Joy, which breaks over the body repeatedly like sea-waves. 4: Uplifting Joy, which can be strong enough to even levitate the body.5: Pervading Joy, which is like a heavy sponge all saturated with water.Visuddhimagga IV 94-9

The Buddha once said:What mental fermentations (asava) should be overcome by development? If a Bhikkhu by careful & rational attentiondevelops the Joy Link to Awakening based on seclusion, on disillusion,on ceasing, & culminating in relinquishment, then neither can any mentalfermentation, nor any fever, or discontent ever arise in him. MN2 [i 11]

In one who has aroused enthusiastic energy, there arises a joy not ofthis world & the Joy Link to Awakening emerges there. He develops it,& for him it goes to the culmination of its development. MN118 [iii 85]

Any one convinced by understanding of Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha,gets an enthusiastic sense of the sublime good goal of Nibbana &gains gladness connected, joined, and fused with this Dhamma...!In any one gladdened, Joy is born. The body of the Joyous is calmed.One of calm body experiences pleasure and happiness! The mind ofone who is happy becomes concentrated. The concentrated mindsees and knows things as they really are. This brings disgust anddisillusion, which enables full direct experience of mental release.It is in this way that Joy indeed is a factor leading to Awakening!MN [i 37-8], AN [iii 21-3], DN [iii 21-3]

The Blessed Buddha once said: Just as dawn is the forerunner and the precursor of the rising of the Sun, exactly so is good and Noble friendship for any disciple the forerunner and the precursor of the mental emergence of the Seven Links to Awakening!When a Bhikkhu has a good and Noble friend, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening. And how does a Bhikkhu who has a good & Noble friend develop & cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening? Here, friends, this Bhikkhu trains, develops, deepens, reinforces and refines:1: The Awareness Link to Awakening: sati-sambojjhanga.2: The Investigation Link to Awakening: dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga.3: The Energy Link to Awakening: viriya-sambojjhanga.4: The Joy Link to Awakening:piti-sambojjhanga.5: The Tranquillity Link to Awakening: passaddhi-sambojjhanga.6: The Concentration Link to Awakening: samadhi-sambojjhanga.7: The Equanimity Link to Awakening: upekkha-sambojjhanga.based upon seclusion, disillusion, ceasing of craving, and culminating in release!It is in exactly in this way that any Bhikkhu, who has a good and Noble Friend, truly trains, grows, intensifies, reinforces & refines the 7 Links to Awakening...